Plunger for closure of a gas holder



Jan. 31, 1939, F, E,NBEK 2,145,620

PLUNGER FOR CLOSURE OF A GAS HOLDER Filed No v. 8, 1934 is h f h U- o og k A 5 g l Inventor:

f k 2:18am: 'wzew L 1 3 Patented Jan. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE Friedrich Einbeck, Dortmund, Germany, assignor to the firm Aug.Kliinne, Dortmund, Germany Application November 8, 1934, Serial No.752,145 In Germany March 22, 1934 2 Claims.

The invention relates to gas-holders of the kind in which closure at thetop is made by a cover in the form of a piston, no water seal beingused.

In connection with such gas holders it has been proposed to provide thepiston with two separate packing rings, one above the other, the lowerring being normally out of contact with the wall of the gas holder, andbeing only brought into contact with the wall when the upper ring isworn and must be removed for repair or renewal. This enables the gasholder to continue in operation while the top ring is removed. Thebottom ring lasts for a very long time, as it is only used for shortperiods at long intervals.

According to my invention two dilatable packing rings are connected toeach other by flexible or elastic gas tight means, and are radiallymovable in relation to each other, the lower ring having also a gastightconnection to the piston allowing it to be moved into and out of itsoperative position.

Normally, when the top ring is in operation, escape of gas is preventedby this ring together with the elastic connection between the two ringsand the gas tight connection of the lower ring to the piston. When thetop ring is to be removed the lower ring is first moved into itsoperative position, and the top ring can then be retracted and takenout, without allowing any escape of gas.

In practice I may with advantage use an elastic web attached to the topring and the bottom ring and extending downwards from the latter to therim of the piston, its lower part forming the flexible, gas-tightconnection between the lower ring and the piston.

The dilatable packing rings may be constructed, for example, in themanner shown by the prior United States Patent No. 1,693,468, wherein anendless packing ring (made of a cotton textile inlaid with rubber or ofsimilar materials) is supported by a flexible and dilatable sheet-metalring.

Various devices may be used for pressing the rings against the wall ofthe gas holder. Springs or weighted levers may serve for this purpose,as shown in the United States Patent No. 1,693,- 468.. A convenientdevice consists of a weighted lever to which both rings are connected byapproximately horizontal bars adjustably fastened to the lever.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawing, showing one form ofconstruction,

Fig. 1 being a diagrammatic vertical section, and

Figs. 2 and 3 being sectional views, to a larger scale, showing the twoalternative positions of the rings.

The piston is is vertically guided in the gas chamber 10 by means ofrollers r. A gastight, flexible or elastic web connects the top andbottom packing rings 0, u to each other and to the rim of the piston 70.

The dilatable rings are connected by bars h. to a lever h weighted by aweight 9. Each bar has two or more holes enabling it to be adjustablyconnected to the lever by means of a peg.

Fig. 2 shows the top ring in operative position, with the lower ringretracted, for normal working of the piston. Fig. 3 shows the top ringretracted, with the lower ring in operative position, the connections ofthe bars h to the lever h having been, changed for that purpose. In thisposi tion the top ring can be removed, for insertion of a fresh ring. Asalready mentioned, retrac tion of the top ring does not take place tillthe bottom ring is in operative position, so that there is no escape ofgas. The bottom ring is retracted again when a fresh top ring has beeninserted and brought into contact with the wall, so that the amount ofwear to which the bottom ring is subjected is very small, and its lifeis very long.

I claim:

1. In a gas holder of the waterless type, a piston, a pair of separateand dilatable packing rings mounted in said piston arranged one abovethe other and adapted to make sealing contact with the wall of the gasholder, means enabling either ring to be retracted radially from thewall of the gas holder while the other ring remains in contact with saidwall, and a flexible web connecting said rings with each other and thepiston in such a manner as to enable said rings to move radially andindependently of each other between sealing and idle positions.

2. In a gas holder of the waterless type, a piston, a pair of separateand dilatable packing rings mounted in said piston arranged one abovethe other and adapted to make sealing contact with the wall of the gasholder, levers pivoted to the piston and each having a vertical armextending behind said rings, horizontally guided arms attached to eachring to provide for movement of the ring and arms in a radial direction,connections between each of said horizontal arms and correspondingvertical lever arms enabling either ring to be connected independentlyof the other to the levers in sealing and retracted position as desired,means applying pressure to said levers to force whichever ring is insealing position, into sealing contact with said wall, and a flexibleweb connected to the two packing rings and to the peripheral edge of thepiston.

FRIEDRICH EINBECK.

